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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    If the XT5 was rear drive then it would start at $50k instead of $40k and the XT5-V with this new 550 hp V8 would cost $110,000 which is more than they get for a CTS-V or Escalade. There is your profit margin and business case. Then the XT4 would start at $40,000, rather than the $34k or whatever it has to start at to get under the XT5 and that XT4-V could run up to $75-80k, probably more than they charge for an ATS-V. Then you get an XT4 fwd Equinox clone at $34k if you need a volume low lease price leader. Audi has longitude mount engines so their weight balance isn't destroyed like a transverse mounted engine car, and Audi's interiors aren't crap.
  2. smk4565
    If rear drive is nothing special, then build the CT6 on an Impala chassis, make a 3.6 liter 310 hp V6 the range topper and call it a day. The XT5 being priced below the CTS would be like Chevy pricing the Equinox below the Cruze. Same size class, similar under pinnings, but they jack the price of the Equinox up because it is a crossover. Cadillac does the opposite and makes the crossover cheaper than the sedan. L Agree on the tail lights, they look like the designer sneezed when drawing it, should be straight vertical like classic Cadillac tail lights, what then went for looks like it game of a Nissan or something where there is an angle just for the sake of having an angle.
  3. smk4565
    They can develop a rear drive platform to sell 15-20,000 CT6 per year globally but can’t develop a rear drive crossover platform that could be used on XT4 and XT5 and sell 200,000 units per year? Fuzzy math.
  4. smk4565
    It is but the GLE (M-class) has been a top 3 selling Mercedes for about 10-15 years and put up plenty of volume despite being $15k more than an RX or XT5. And the GLC outsells the XT5 and RX globally. XT5 should cost more than a CTS, a mid size crossover should cost more than a mid size sedan.
  5. smk4565
    That extra .2 liters is going to hurt in China where the displacement tax drastically increases over 4.0 liters. And the S63 4.0 liter makes 603 hp and 664 lb-ft. So they still got Cadillac beat and an S73 is in the works, I imagine they will save that for the next generation since it is a hybrid.
  6. smk4565
    I thought Cadillac was supposed to be serious performance and not a FWD appliance?
  7. smk4565
    WEAK competitors! The GLC and GLE have twin turbo V8s and the XT5 is closer to GLE in size than it is GLC, you could put a V8 in the XT4 even. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio has 505 hp and that is a small crossover.
  8. smk4565
    Everyone likes LED lights, more power and bigger screens, so nice little improvements.
  9. smk4565
    I have been saying for 10 years that Cadillac needs a DOHC V8, finally they have one, better late than never, but I feel like this car is about 3 years too late, they should have had this at launch time of the CT6. Will this engine be in the XT5? Oh wait, it won't work since the XT5 is wrong wheel drive, poor product planning strikes again! At least they got the powertrain right in the CT6 finally, I would make the 3.0TT the base engine, dump the 3.6 V6. And when CT5 arrives go with a turbo 4 base, 3.0TT V6 middle, and 4.2 V8 V-series or V-sport. I'd put this new V8 in the Escalade too, and if this is the CT6 V-sport, is there a CT6 V coming with more power? But how many of these will they sell? The world hasn't shown much demand for $100k+ Cadillac sedans, but you have to build it first and hope they will come.
  10. smk4565
    I don't get the point of this car, I guess maybe they sell them in Asia, but for this market it really makes no sense. People aren't going to pay $70k for a Kia as shown by the sales, and Hyundai and Kia both just keep copying German car styling, but people that want to buy something that looks like a German car, will just buy a German car, not some knockoff. If anything Kia should make the K900 look radical as can be, like a concept car from 2030. At least it would stand out, this just blends in and gets forgotten.
  11. smk4565
    These subscription plans don't work, because you are paying way more than a lease price to basically lease a car that comes with a warranty anyway. A subscription service only works for autonomous cars in which case you don't actually own the car, it comes to pick you up when you need a ride. Then in effect 4 or 5 people could be sharing one S-class and each person pays $400 a month for rides in it, then it makes sense to buy a subscription service.
  12. smk4565
    There probably won't even be a 4-cylinder in 20250.
  13. smk4565
    12 and 10 cylinder will be the first to go, V8 sales are shrinking by the year. I think V8s will hold on until the day the gas engine dies.
  14. smk4565
    The Continental name wasn't the problem, the lackluster car built on a Fusion chassis was.
  15. smk4565
    The E-class isn't a racer either, you could put an E53 into the grand tourer category too. And it does 0-60 .5 seconds faster than the LC500. The E53 makes 429 hp and 384 lb-ft with the gas engine, the electric motor adds 21 hp and 184 lb-ft, not sure what the combined output is.
  16. smk4565
    E53 will be on sale shortly and could technically qualify as a hybrid since it has an electric motor on bored but I wouldn’t call it one. The Lexus V8 is from yesteryear with no torque, the E53 is a faster car but AMG has more 500 hp V8 models than any other brand if that is your desire.
  17. smk4565
    The Cadillacs have lower quality interiors with cheaper materials than this car. Cadillac doesn't have a car with this level of luxury, maybe you can argue a CT6 platinum is in the ballpark but then that is a $90k car and not a coupe. I do think if Cadillac put the effort out, they could make an Eldorado off the Omega chassis to beat this car. But then the elephant in the room is still the S-class coupe and the 8-series is coming back. So you have to beat those guys too, although if Cadillac did an Eldorado I would size and price is against an E-class coupe because there is more volume in that size and price segment.
  18. smk4565
    Here is the huge problem with this car, Lexus wants you to think it is an S-class coupe competitor, but cheaper therefor a good value. Problem is the LC500 is the roughly the size as an E-class coupe (the LC is 3 inches shorter and lower, but 3 inches wider). The E53 coupe is faster and a better performer than the LC500, has all the same luxury features and one can argue styling or which interior is better, but that is mostly subjective. So really you have the Lexus version of the E53 coupe with less performance for more money. The S-class coupe is over a foot longer than this car, way better equipped, and way more powerful and much faster. And the reason the Lexus LS sedan doesn't sell now is because it looks too radical for the 80 year olds that buy it, and again, no optional engines, weak performance, low rent, dated, clutster-bleep ergonomics interior. If they want to challenge the S-class they better step their game up. Not surprising because the Civic Type R is pretty quick on a track, especially any tight tracks without big straight aways, and Lexus couldn't find performance if they walked into the Ferrari factory in Marenello.
  19. smk4565
    The pricing on the Continental is terrible, I just went to their website, the Black Label 2.7L is $70k and there are some options you can add to that. This car is easily $15,000 overpriced for what it is. Probably what Lincoln should do to salvage some of this, is put this car's body, powertrain, interior, and features, etc and shorten overall length by 10 inches and make it the new MKZ, and cut the base price to $37,950 and make the Black Label $49,950 with the 400 hp V6.
  20. smk4565
    Not surprised by this, but what terrible product planning by Ford, and it shows how the car was underdeveloped in the first place. The Continental has zero when it comes to performance, and it doesn't have more luxury, more features or better build quality than anything else that price point, so it has nothing to win on. Plus full size sedan isn't really a growing segment, really a Lincoln the size of the MKZ should be the $50,000 Lincoln and a car smaller than that should be the $35,000 Lincoln. This goes to the overall poor execution of the Lincoln brand. All of their product is a dressed up Ford and people aren't going to pay luxury money for Escape or Fusion under pinnings. Even the new Navigator which they tout as a success gets outsold by an aging Escalade and the really aging GLS. When the BMW X7 hits, the Audi Q8, the new GLS, Navigator sales will drop under 1,000 per month in 2019 and then they'll wait until 2024 to update it, if Lincoln is still around then.
  21. smk4565
    Mercedes isn’t shy about badges, I think they almost overdo it with all the Bi-turbo and 4matic+ badges all over the place.
  22. smk4565
    I think most brand don't write the name out on the back of the car, it is pretty common just to have a badge and the model name/number. But you do wonder if GM is doing it to save $2 per car on a badge, because I wouldn't be surprised if that was a factor. But like was said earlier, they don't write Chevrolet on the trunk of the Malibu.
  23. smk4565
    They have probably averaged between 5 and 9 million per year the past 30 years or so. With 100+ years of history and a 5 million average you get to 500 million so that is reasonable.
  24. smk4565
    The Post Office doesn't need full size delivery trucks. The Bolt may be too small, but an EV that is like the size of a Transit Connect should do well, it would have even more cargo room than a gas van of that size.
  25. smk4565
    Ian Callum sure does talk a lot about the S-class, for a guy that says they don't compete with the S-class. I don't get how you make the XJ larger, and make it sportier? Making something bigger, doesn't make it sporty, it does the opposite. They do need to maximize interior room better given the size of the current car, the interior is too small. I think a S63 can out perform an XJR575 right now, and the AMG GT 4-door can for sure can beat anything Jaguar makes. Mercedes already makes what Jag aspires to. I think making the XJ electric only could be the way to go.
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